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Child abuse experts to be featured on ‘Conversations LIVE’

Child abuse experts to be featured on ‘Conversations LIVE’

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Recent news has been flooded with tragic reports of child abuse, but sadly, many other cases go unreported.

The next episode of WPSU-TV’s "Conversations LIVE" features experts who will discuss how to recognize child sexual abuse, how to protect children and how to help victims recover. Host Patty Satalia will be joined by Jennie Noll, Lucy Johnston-Walsh and Mark Zimmer, whose expertise are in advocacy, protection and law.

The 60-minute show is interactive, taking viewers’ phone calls, emails and questions via Twitter. Viewers can join the conversation by calling 800-543-8243 during the show, emailing connect@wpsu.org or tweeting @WPSU. "Conversations LIVE: Child Abuse" will air at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, on WPSU-TV, WPSU-FM, WQLN-TV in Erie and online at http://wpsu.org.

Noll has recently joined the Penn State faculty as a professor of human development and family studies, and is leading Penn State’s Network on Child Protection and Well-Being. She is an internationally recognized researcher from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and her work has examined the long-term consequences of childhood sexual abuse.

Johnston-Walsh is a clinical professor and director of the Children’s Advocacy Clinic, part of Penn State Law, leading the clinic’s operations and its mission to advocate for legislative issues related to children in the welfare system. She has served as a state and federal lobbyist for these issues and is also the past chairwoman of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Children’s Rights Committee.

Zimmer, a private practice attorney and chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, is an influential voice in child abuse lawmaking and training. He has served on multiple committees surrounding these topics, including the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Juvenile Court Procedural Rules Committee and the Joint State Government Commission’s Advisory Committee on Services to Children and Youth.